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Reports
Lincou & Waters
Lift Irish Open Titles
Top seeds
Thierry Lincou, of France, and Alison Waters, of England, won their
maiden titles in the Cannon Kirk Homes Irish Squash Open after straight
games victories in the PSA and WISPA World Tour event finals at
the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin.
One of the biggest
crowds ever at Fitzwilliam squeezed into the gallery to witness former world
number Lincou take on the exciting young Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy,
who many are tipping to be a future world number one.
The 18-year-old
world junior champion from Alexandria proved to be the talk of this year's
tournament due to his attacking style and entertaining matches and was largely
responsible for the big turnout at the final. However El Shorbagy was given a
master-class from the French world number seven, whose precision and focus in
the $25,000 event climax was flawless.
El Shorbagy's
shot-making had been exceptional all week and it proved to be his fatal flaw in
the final as his inexperience was shown in the amount of errors. Lincou
dominated from start to finish and won 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 in an impressive
34-minute performance.
The triumph not
only marked Lincou's 20th career PSA Tour title, but also avenged the
33-year-old from Marseille's shock defeat at the hands of the Egyptian teenager
in last year's World Open in Manchester.
"I'm happy with my
victory tonight," Lincou said later. "I wanted this match for two reasons. One,
to take my revenge from the Worlds, and I also wanted a 20th PSA title. Also,
my mates have been pulling my leg so much for entering a two-star event that I
was even more determined to win tonight!
"This tournament is
good for me. Last time I played it, in 2000, I was top 16, and I beat Paul
Johnson (of England) who was No4 at the time, to then lose to (Jonathon) Power.
I'll sleep well tonight."
Ireland's
Madeline Perry - looking for her fourth title since 2005 - fell at the final
hurdle of the women's $25,000 WISPA World Tour event, losing out to top
seed Alison Waters. The world number six from England was too strong for the
32-year-old from Banbridge, near Belfast, as she produced a solid performance,
keeping the Irish girl on the back foot throughout the match.
The second game
proved vital, with Perry failing to convert a good chance at 9-8. Waters took
advantage to snatch the game 11-9 and then increased the pace in the third to
close out the match 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 in 37 minutes.
The success mark's
the second Tour title for Waters, after the 25-year-old from London secured her
maiden WISPA crown at the Southport Open in the USA just over four years
ago.
Perry Battles To
Irish Open Final
Irish squash star
Madeline Perry delighted the local crowds at the Fitzwilliam Lawn
Tennis Club by beating New Zealander Jaclyn Hawkes in the semi-finals
of the Cannon Kirk Homes Irish Open to reach the final of the $25,000
WISPA World Tour event in Dublin for the fourth time in five years.
The world number
nine from Banbridge, near Belfast, recovered from a game down to defeat surprise
opponent Hawkes - the No7 seed from Auckland who upset England's defending
champion Laura Lengthorn-Massaro in the quarters - 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-3
in 55 minutes.
Third seed Perry,
winner of the trophy for three successive years from 2005, will now face top
seed Alison Waters for the title.
Londoner Waters
also faced an unexpected opponent in the other women's semi-final after unseeded
compatriot Sarah Kippax surprised fellow English countrywoman Tania
Bailey, the fourth seed, in the previous round.
After comfortably
winning the first two games, Waters served for the match at 10-4. But Kippax
took the game to a tie-break after saving six match balls before the favourite
eventually clinched her 11-4, 11-1, 13-11 victory after 31 minutes.
A similar pattern
emerged in the first semi-final of the men's $25,000 PSA World Tour event
when French favourite Thierry Lincou seemed to be cruising to a
straightforward straight games win over fifth seed Daryl Selby after
taking the first two games against the Englishman.
The third game
looked all over until Lincou served for the match at 10-4. Selby demonstrated
that he has a game to match the former world number one by playing a series of
exquisite drops and testing lobs to close the gap to 10-9.
It took his seventh
match ball before Lincou finally took the match 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 in 44 minutes
to reach the 38th Tour final of his career.
"I benefited from
Daryl's concentration up and downs, which allowed me to lead 2/0," Lincou said
afterwards. "Then a big scare to try and convert my match balls, with Daryl
coming back into the match, playing superb, clean, efficient and error-free
squash. I was happy to get through in three!"
The rising Egyptian
star Mohamed El Shorbagy again put on an exciting display of wizardry to
defeat English training partner Joey Barrington in the other men's semi.
Sixth seed Barrington was well in the match but had to work extremely hard to
win a point against the teenager from Alexandria.
The Englishman had
a great chance to take the opening game, leading 10-8 - but Shorbagy replied
with three consecutive nick shots to open up a one-game lead.. In the second
game, Shorbagy continued his nick spree and finished the game with an incredible
backhand high volley into the nick to take it 11/6. Barrington’s hard work paid
off and he took the third game with some panache. But Shorbagy wrapped up the
fourth game to win 12-10, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8 to earn his first Irish Open final
place.
The final will be
El Shorbagy's first meeting with Lincou since upsetting the former world
champion in last year's World Open in Manchester.
Perry Powers On
In Dublin
Madeline Perry
became Ireland's sole survivor in the Cannon Kirk Irish Squash Open after
a tough day for the Irish competitors on the opening day of main draw action at
the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin. The Banbridge world
number nine booked her place in the quarter-finals of the women's $25,000
WISPA World Tour event with an impressive 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 win over English
qualifier Lauren Siddall.
The third-seeded
32-year-old will take on Delia Arnold for a place in the semi-finals.
The unseeded Malaysian pulled off one of the most impressive wins of her career
by beating fifth seed Vanessa Atkinson, the former world champion from
the Netherlands, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9.
In another notable
women's upset, England's world No28 Sarah Kippax shocked fourth seed
Isabelle Stoehr by beating the world No10 from France 12-14, 11-3, 11-3,
7-11, 11-9.
The top Irish men
did not make it through in the $25,000 PSA World Tour event despite good
performances. Irish number one and world number 55 Liam Kenny lost to
sixth seed Joey Barrington from England.
Barrington, son of
Irish legend Jonah, looked very solid despite dropping the first game to an
impressive Kenny. But Barrington's strength and pace proved too much in the end
as he went onto win 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 in 60 minutes.
Carlow's Arthur
Gaskin took on current world junior champion and another of Egypt's growing
list of squash stars, Mohamed El Shorbagy. Gaskin looked a match for his
opponent as the first two games were shared but the fourth-seeded Egyptian
showed his class at the vital stages to take the next two games and the match
11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7.
In the men's
event's biggest upset, Swiss qualifier Nicolas Mueller beat third seed
Alister Walker - stemming a fight-back by the world No16 from England to win
11-8, 12-10, 4-11, 4-11, 11-6 in 56 minutes. In a surprise quarter-final berth,
the 19-year-old former European Junior champion from near Zurich will face
another seeded Englishman Daryl Selby.
Selby, who with
Alister Walker will debut for England in next month's European Team
Championships in Sweden, also needed five games to overcome French qualifier
Mathieu Castagnet 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 1-11, 11-6 in an 80-minute marathon.
John Rooney
Extends Local Interest In Irish Open In Dublin
John Rooney
boosted local interest in the main draw of the Cannon Kirk Homes Irish Open
when he beat Jesse Engelbrecht of South Africa in the qualifying finals
of the $25,000 PSA World Tour squash event in its seventh year at
Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin.
After beating
compatriot Derek Ryan in his first qualifier, Rooney started strongly
against top qualifying seed Engelbrecht. But after taking the first game 11-4,
it became apparent the South African was suffering from a strain picked up in
round one and, after Rooney took a 9/1 lead in game two, Engelbrecht was forced
to withdraw.
The 29-year-old
from Galway, who now joins Irish players Liam Kenny and Arthur Gaskin
in the main draw, is rewarded with a place against top seed Thierry Lincou,
the world No7 from France who is making his first appearance in the event since
2000.
Swiss teenager
Nicolas Mueller beat Frenchman Yann Perrin 11-8, 11-7, 11-5 in 30
minutes and now faces talented Englishman Alister Walker, the third seed
in the top half of the draw.
The lower half
of the draw opened up following the late announcement of the withdrawal of
number two seed Adrian Grant, the world No11 from London who is suffering
with a groin injury. The in-form left-hander is replaced in the draw by lucky
loser Yann Perrin – leaving fourth seed Mohamed El Shorbagy, the reigning
world junior champion from Egypt, the highest-ranked player in the half.
In the
qualifying finals of the women's $25,000 WISPA World Tour event, Italian
Manuela Manetta had a tough battle with talented 17-year-old Indian
Dipika Pallikal. The more experienced Manetta eventually pulled through
11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 11-5 in 43 minutes.
In
one of the strongest draws in recent times the Cannon Kirk Irish Open first
round main draw boasts a strong Irish presence in both the men's and women's
draws - with Ireland's most successful female Madeline Perry seeded
three.
Perry, a
three-time former champion of the Dublin event, faces England's Lauren
Siddall – who scored one of the best wins of her career by upsetting Indian
champion Joshna Chinappa 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 in 24 minutes.
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